On Saturday afternoon at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, the Toronto Argonauts clashed with the Montreal Alouettes for the second time this season. In their first meeting back in Week 2, Toronto won the game by one point.
A win for Toronto would clinch them the East Division title and host the Eastern Final on November 12th. For Montreal, they needed to beat Toronto twice to have a chance to win the East Division and host the Eastern Final. However, a loss resulted in Montreal hosting a home semi-final game.
In the first quarter, Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 52 yards. On third down, Montreal tried to score a touchdown, but Toronto defensive back Jonathan Jones picked off Harris’s pass and ran for 38 yards. However, Toronto was not able to take advantage of the turnover.
Later in the first quarter, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw four passes for 70 yards. Two plays later, Thompson threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Markeith Ambles, who jumped in the air to make the catch for a 7-0 lead with 3:56 left. Toronto led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Montreal cut Toronto’s lead to four, 7-3, on a 42-yard field goal by David Cote with 1:45 left. Those were the only points scored in the second quarter, and Toronto led 7-3 at halftime.
Despite a low-scoring first half, both offenses were active. Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 10/16 for 97 yards, and one touchdown, while running back A.J. Ouellette had seven carries for 64 yards as part of Toronto’s 171 yards on offense.
Meanwhile, Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 10/16 for 208 yards, and one interception, while running back William Stanback had seven carries for 269 yards for Montreal’s 269 yards on offense.
In the third quarter, Toronto got going. Toronto returner Javon Leake returned a kick-off for 50 yards. Then, on the second play, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson dropped back from the pocket and threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr.
Gittens caught the ball in front of a Montreal defender before running in for the touchdown. Toronto led 14-3 with 14:30 left. Later in the third quarter, Montreal kicker David Cote made his second field goal for 26 yards, making it 14-6 Toronto with 7:31 left.
Late in the third quarter, Toronto’s defense came up with a big play when Ja’Gared Davis sacked Trevor Harris in the endzone for a safety, and it was 16-6 Toronto with 4:31 left. However, Toronto’s offense was unable to add any more points. Montreal had the ball and reached Toronto’s 30-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Jake Wieneke, making it a three-point game, 16-13, with 12:06 left. Then, Montreal tied the game 16-16 with 7:54 left on a 47-yard field goal by David Cote.
Then, Toronto chewed up a lot of time, making small gains that led quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson to throw four passes for 37 yards. Six plays later, backup quarterback Chad Kelly scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak to put Toronto back up 23-16 with 2:23 left.
With their backs against the wall, Montreal quickly moved down the field. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw four passes for 69 yards. Then, Harris threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis, tying the game 23-23 with 34-seconds left.
Then, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 39 yards to set up a 47-yard field goal. However, Boris Bede missed the field goal, but the ball went out of bounds, and a too-many-men penalty on Montreal gave Toronto a single point to win a nailbiter 24-23. Toronto wins the Eastern Division and will host the Eastern Final on November 13th. The Argonauts are now 11-6, while Montreal drops to 8-9.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 20/29 for 240 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 14 carries for 92 yards, while wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. had seven catches for 117 yards, and one touchdown. Toronto’s defense allowed 519 yards, with 61 tackles, five sacks, six pass breakups, and one interception.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris went 25/33 for 413 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for seven yards. Running back William Stanback had ten carries for 65 yards, while wide receiver Jake Wieneke had five catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.
Montreal’s defense allowed 349 yards, with 42 tackles, one sack, two pass breakups, and one interception. Both teams will meet in the season finale next Saturday at 2 pm on ESPN+.
